Eva Perry Moore Federation Pin Necklace

February + March 2008

Among the treasures at GFWC Headquarters, a favorite is Eva Perry Moore' Federation Pin necklace, profiled in the February + March 2008 issue of GFWC Clubwoman. The necklace, adorned with twenty pins, is a souvenir of Eva's journeys as GFWC International President. It includes a GFWC “rising sun” pin, 17 identified state pins, and a pin representing the Panama Canal Zone Federation of Women’s Clubs, dated 1907.

One of the state pins on GFWC President Eva Perry Moore’s neckace is that of the California Federation of Women’s Clubs. According to 2006-2008 California State Federation President Tammy Guensler, the CFWC Procedure/Yearbook provides the following history of the California Federation pin:

The Emblem of the GFWC California Federation of Women's Clubs was designed in 1903 by Miss Bernice Scoville. The Emblem is the insignia of a common cause and creates a spirit of cooperation among those who wear it. The Torch represents the educational work of the Federation and invites all to knowledge of the principles of American citizenship. The Wings pointing upward are symbolic of the higher thoughts and aspirations which are the aim of all. The Band encircling both typifies the unbroken chain of strength and loyalty - not only to the clubs, but also to the state.

The CFWC Motto, "Strength United is Stronger," suggested by Annie Little Barry and chosen in convention 1902, reminds us that in unity there is strength and, through the united efforts of the club women of California, it is possible to accomplish many things for the benefit of the people of the state.

The Emblem is the design of the official Federation pin. A president wears the gavel above the pin and a past president wears the gavel below the pin.

The California Federation of Women's Clubs President Ione Cowles (1905-1906), pictured at left, served as First Vice-President to Eva Perry Moore for her entire administration, 1908-1912.

More information about the California Federation of Women’s Clubs is available on their website.

Renee Horist, Michigan State President (2006-2008), and Second Vice President Chris Burns have provided the following information about the beginnings of the Michigan State Federation and the design of the Michigan pin.

The organizing convention for the Michigan State Federation of Women’s Clubs was held March 20-21, 1895 in Lansing. The Federation was formally admitted to GFWC on December 27, 1895 and published its first manual in 1898. The state pin/badge was adopted in 1899, with features selected for their particular symbolism. The pen and scroll represent the working tools of the literary woman; the wreath typifies victory; the white field in the scroll stands for purity; the blue dawn signifies the dawn of a higher civilization for women; and the bow knot is a symbol of fraternity.

A History of the Michigan State Federation of Women’s Clubs, 1895-1953 provides information about the administrations of Michigan State Presidents Florence Mills (1908-1910) and Lucy Williams (1910-1912), who served during the administration of GFWC President Eva Perry Moore. Eva Moore attended the seventeenth annual meeting of the Michigan State Federation, held in the Hotel Pontchartrain in Detroit, October 1911. The history notes that “Mrs. Moore had asked that the special work of the Michigan Federation for the year should be the welfare of women and children.The keynote of the convention was ‘Home.’”

Mary Tisinger, 2006-2008 President of the Delaware Federation of Women’s Clubs has researched the history of the Delaware pin through interviews with other past state presidents and from “101 Years of Volunteerism,” a history of the Delaware Federation written by Dorothy Gardner Downs, Delaware State Federation President, 1988-1990. According to her research,

The Delaware State Federation began with the formation of the Wilmington New Century Club, which was organized in January 1889 under the leadership of Emalea Pusey Warner. Six weeks later the club was invited, along with representatives from other states, to attend the twenty-first anniversary of Sorosis in New York City. The General Federation was organized on that occasion, and the Wilmington New Century Club joined immediately.

On January 19, 1898, the Delaware State Federation of Women's Clubs was organized, and the first annual meeting was held in Dover, Delaware, in May of that year. At the Federation's second annual meeting, held in Georgetown, Delaware, May 24-25, 1899, the clover was adopted as the Federation emblem. The clover was selected because the three leaves on a central stem were considered representative of Delaware's three counties: Kent, New Castle, and Sussex, which work together with a central governing body. The Delaware State Federation colors are green and white, represented in the clover's green leaves and stem and the white bow that reads "D.S.F.W.C."

The Delaware Federation has not yet determined exactly when the clover pin was designed. However, Eva Perry Moore collected it for her Federation necklace, so the design was in use at least as early as about 1910. Three Delaware State Presidents served during Eva’s administration as GFWC President: Mrs. George M. Marshall, 1907-1909, Mrs. Robert Lindale, 1909-1911, and Mrs. John C. Robinson, 1911-1913.

At some point, the Delaware clover pin was fashioned into the State President's Pin, with the clover situated within a gold triangular frame. This pin is passed on from president to president at the end of each two-year administration. Each president, at the end of her administration, is presented with her own "past president's pin" which is circular with the clover at the center.